Pull post with variable anchoring means

ABSTRACT

A portable pull post for pullers used in automotive body shops includes a slidable collar mounted on the upstanding post thereof and an elongated foot or base member having one end thereof adapted to accommodate a variety of anchoring means used to render the device stationary.

United States Patent [191 Morski et al.

[ June 18, 1974 1 PULL POST WITH VARIABLE ANCHORING MEANS [75] Inventors: Raymond Morski, Farmington;

Michael J. Podrecca, Ecorse, both of Mich.

[73] Assignee: International Detroit Industries,

Inc., Detroit. Mich.

221 Filed: June5, 1972 21 App1.No.:259,394

[52] US. Cl. 72/462, 72/705 [51] Int. Cl 821d 1/12 [58] Field of Search 72/705, 455, 462; 248/23, 248/73, 228

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,576,634 3/1926 Doncgan 248/228 1,614,697 1/1927 Snook 72/705 2,703,265 3/1955 Wolfe 248/228 3,141,493 7/1964 Textor 72/705 3,452,575 7/1969 Williams et al. 72/705 3,465,995 9/1969 Whitman 248/228 3,583,203 6/1971 Williams et a1. 72/705 3,590,623 7/1971 l-lunnicutt .1 72/705 3,698,230 10/1972 Buske 72/705 Primary Eramz'nerCharles W. Lanham Assistant ExaminerM. J. Keenan Attorney. Agent, or Firm-Weiner. Basile and Weintraub [57] ABSTRACT A portable pull post for pullers used in automotive body shops includes a slidable collar mounted on the upstanding post thereof and an elongated foot or base member having one end thereof adapted to accommodate a variety of anchoring means used to render the device stationary.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJM 18 1914 PULL POST WITH VARIABLE ANCHORING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates to devices used to straighten automotive vehicle bodies and frames. More particularly the present invention relates to portable pull posts adapted to accommodate a variety of anchoring means for rendering the device stationary.

2. Prior Art.

The need for repair of damage to vehicle bodies and frames has led to the development of various devices to accomplish the intended result. Generally, the art has taught pullers associated with elaborate anchoring frames and intricate actuating mechanisms, such as disclosed in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,088,513; 3,429,855; 3,501,938, and 3,340,720. However, such devices are inherently costly and are, generally, restricted in their use to any one specific body shop or similar environment by virtue of the anchoring means utilized to render the device stationary.

Generally speaking, pull posts are rendered stationary by securing them to the floor of the body or bump shop either by bolting the post to the floor; chaining the post to the floor; or mounting the device onto suitable securing means, such as a beam, constructed as an integral part ofthe shop. Heretofore, pull posts have been designed to accommodate only one of such securing arrangements.

Thus, there exists a requirement within the art for a pull post of relatively inexpensive cost which can be utilized in most automotive repair shops as they are presently constituted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention there is provided a portable pull post which includes an upright or upstanding post having a collar slidably mounted thereon, the collar carrying means for locking the collar to the post at any desired position therealong and forattaching a puller thereto.

The post extends from and is secured to one end of an elongated base member, the elongated base member having its other end adaptedto receive a variety of anchoring means to render the device stationary.

For a more comprehensive discussion of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing. In the drawing, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several view in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a perspective view of the pull post utilizing a bolt anchoring means;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the variable anchoring means shown with a transverse anchor beam;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the anchoring means shown with a chain for rendering the pull post stationary;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the variable anchoring means of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the drawing and in particular FIG. 1 thereof, it is seen that the present device, generally indicated at 10, includes an upstanding post 12 affixed to a base support 14, at its lower end 13. The base support 14 includes a pair of feet I16, 18 disposed forwardly of the post 12 and an elongated tubular foot 20. The elongated foot 20 which is secured to the post 12 proximate its free end 13 carries variable anchoring means 22 which is described in detail subsequently. The variable anchoring means 22 and the feet 16, 18 are substantially co-planar. As shown in FIG. 1, the post 12 is fixedly secured to the feet l6, 18 as well as to elongated foot 20 of the base support 14 at the converging ends thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, a collar 24 is slidably mounted on the post 12. The collar 24 has an aperture 26 provided therethrough which receives locking means 28, such as an eye-bolt 30 or the like. The locking means 28 locks the collar 24 to the post 12 at any desired position. The locking means 28, preferably, includes a ring portion 32 or the like which is used to attach a puller thereto (not shown).

It is, thus, seen that the slidable collar and the locking means cooperate to enable secure engagement of the collar to the post any any position therealong. This obviates the need for apertured posts and studded collars, common heretofore. Moreover, by employing the eyebolt 30, locking means and puller attachment means are compactly afforded by the present invention.

Each foot 16, 18 has a wheel 34 or other portability means mounted thereon at the free ends to impart easy transportability to the device 10, thereby rendering the device portable.

In relation to the position of the locking means 28 the elongated foot 20 is disposed rearwardly of the post 12.

This is done to impart stability to the system and to avoid any changes in the center of gravity of the system when the puller is being used.

The free end 36 of the elongated foot 20 carries variable anchoring means 22.

As is known to those skilled in the art, and as previously mentioned, pull posts are generally rendered stationary either by bolting it to either the floor of the body shop; securing it to a chain fixedly attached to and stored in the floor of the body shop, or securing it to a horizontally extending beam or tubular member disposed proximate the floor of the body shop, or similar means. The variable anchoring means 22 renders the present device 10 amenable to deployment in any such environment.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the: anchoring means 22 generally comprises an L-shaped hold-down plate 38 having legs 40 and 42 and a tubular member or beam mounting means 44 integrally formed with or otherwise fixed in back-to-back relationship with leg 42.

The leg 42 has a chain-receiving slot 46 in communication with the interior of the foot 20. Thus, the leg 42, the slot 46 and the free end 36 of the foot 20 and the interior thereof cooperate to define means to render the pull post stationary and to contemporaneously store the free end of the chain. This is achieved by inserting the chain (normally stored in the body shop floor) into the slot 46 with any excess of chain being disposed within the foot 20, as shown in FIG. 3.

The leg 38 has an aperture 48 provided therethrough which receives a bolt 50 (not shown) which can be threadedly attached to a bolt anchoring means 52 provided in the floor of the body shop, thereby rendering the pull post stationary.

The beam mounting means 44 is adapted to be parallelly slidably mounted on an anchoring beam 53 provided proximate the floor of the body shop, as shown in FIG. 2. Since the beam mounting means is mounted transverse to the anchoring beam, the pull post is thereby rendered stationary.

As shown in FIG. 3, the anchoring means 32 is fixed to the foot 20 such that the leg 42 abuts the edge of the free end of the foot and the tubular member 44 abuts and extends transversely to the foot, and beneath the lower wall thereof.

It is to be appreciated that the anchoring means can be integrally formed with the device or it can be constructed as a distinct unit which can then be fixedly secured to the pull post by welding or the like, but is preferably, integrally formed with the pull post.

Moreover, and as shown in FIG. 3, an aperture 54 can be provided in the foot 20 and an eye-bolt 56 or similar ringed member can be threadedly secured to the foot 20 through the aperture 54 connected thereto. The bolt 56 can thus be used as a grasping means to enable the user to easily move the device 10. Further, it is to be appreciated that the aperture 54 can be used to store the locking means 28 or a bolt to be inserted into a body shop floor through the aperture 48 in the hold-down plate 38.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an alternate embodiment of the present invention wherein the anchoring means 22 includes a hold-down plate 138 having legs 140 and 142 and a U-shaped member 144 having its cross-portion 146 integrally formed with or otherwise fixed in back-to-back relationship with leg 142.

The U-shaped member allows the pull post to be mounted on an anchoring beam 53 (FIG. 3) at any convenient point therealong without the need for slidingly moving the post to such convenient point.

I claim:

1. A pull post for use in straightening vehicle bodies and frames comprising, in combination:

a. an upstanding post;

b. a collar slidably mounted on the post;

0. means for locking the collar on the post;

d. a base support having the upstanding post fixedly secured thereto and including at least two converging feet disposed forwardly of the means for locking the collar and each foot having its, respective, converging end fixedly secured to the upstanding post and an elongated foot disposed rearwardly of the means for locking the collar and having one end thereof fixedly secured to the upstanding post; and

e. variable anchoring means for rendering the device stationary, said variable anchoring means being carried on the other end of the elongated foot.

2. The pull post of claim 1, wherein the free end of each of the converging feet has a wheel mounted thereon.

3. The pull post of claim 1 wherein the variable anchoring means comprises:

a. an L-shaped plate having a first and second leg, the

first leg having a bolt-receiving aperture therethrough, the second leg having a chain-receiving slot provided therein; and

b. a beam mounting means fixedly secured to the second leg in back-to-back relation thereto.

4. The pull post of claim 3 wherein the beam mounting means is a tubular member.

5. The pull post of claim 3 wherein the beam mounting means is a U-shaped member having its crossportion secured to the second leg in back-to-back relationship.

6. In a pull post for straightening vehicle bodies and frames, a variable anchoring means for rendering the pull post stationary comprising, in combination:

a. an L-shaped plate having a first and second leg, the

first leg having a bolt-receiving aperture therethrough, the second leg having a chain-receiving slot provided therein; and

b. a beam mounting means fixedly secured to the second leg of the L-shaped plate in back-to-back relationship therewith, the variable anchoring means being secured to the pull post. 

1. A pull post for use in straightening vehicle bodies and frames comprising, in combination: a. an upstanding post; b. a collar slidably mounted on the post; c. means for locking the collar on the post; d. a base support having the upstanding post fixedly secured thereto and including at least two converging feet disposed forwardly of the means for locking the collar and each foot having its, respective, converging end fixedly secured to the upstanding post and an elongated foot disposed rearwardly of the means for locking the collar and having one end thereof fixedly secured to the upstanding post; and e. variable anchoring means for rendering the device stationary, said variable anchoring means being carried on the other end of the elongated foot.
 2. The pull post of claim 1, wherein the free end of each of the converging feet has a wheel mounted thereon.
 3. The pull post of claim 1 wherein the variable anchoring means comprises: a. an L-shaped plate having a first and second leg, the first leg having a bolt-receiving aperture therethrough, the second leg having a chain-receiving slot provided therein; and b. a beam mounting means fixedly secured to the second leg in back-to-back relation thereto.
 4. The pull post of claim 3 wherein the beam mounting means is a tubular member.
 5. The pull post of claim 3 wherein the beam mounting means is a U-shaped member having its cross-portion secured to the second leg in back-to-back relationship.
 6. In a pull post for straightening vehicle bodies and frames, a variable anchoring means for rendering the pull post stationary comprising, in combination: a. an L-shaped plate having a first and second leg, the first leg having a bolt-receiving aperture therethrough, the second leg having a chain-receiving slot provided therein; and b. a beam mounting means fixedly secured to the second leg of the L-shaped plate in back-to-back relationship therewith, the variable anchoring means being secured to the pull post. 